Assembly Republican Leader Connie Conway of Tulare — in her official response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s State of the State address Monday — argued that budget-strapped California must maintain its parks, schools and public services — but argued against extending taxes that would hurt businesses and residents.

“Republicans stand united as the only line of defense for California taxpayers,” Conway said in the official GOP Assembly response to the governor’s address.

“We believe the best solution to help close our deficit is not by raising taxes, but by creating private sector jobs. That is done by lifting regulations and by reducing frivolous lawsuits,” she said.

“For far too long, the Legislature has strangled our economy by imposing mandates, regulations and taxes. It’s no wonder that companies have been leaving California for other states,” Conway said in her response.

“For the past six years, CEO magazine has ranked our state as the worst place to do business in the entire nation. We cannot allow that to continue,” she said.

“Let’s make life more simple by focusing on what’s most important. Let’s maintain our parks, roads, schools and public safety. Let’s create jobs by helping business owners instead of hurting them,” she said.

Conway didn’t provide specifics on how Republicans proposed to meet the budget gap, and maintain services without the tax extensions Brown is calling for. But she invited residents to be part of the conversation — as did Brown.